Cold Case
by Beth - Geek Chick
Summary: REPOST - Annie's been tasked with clearing up some cold cases. One she stumbles across brings Trent Kort into her world.


Title: Cold Case

Category: TV Shows » NCIS

Author: Beth - Geek Chick

Language: English, Rating: Rated: T

Genre: Adventure/Romance

Published: 09-12-10, Updated: 09-18-10

Chapters: 6, Words: 7,787

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

"Bloody hell!"

The oath echoed up the winding metal staircase, as did the preceding crash and fluttering of papers onto the floor. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Trent Kort looked up from his current position on his back where the metal door had slammed him to. His still recuperating right shoulder flashed with pain.

He groaned as he wondered how many more weeks this'd set back his recovery and slowly made his way back to his feet. The sight in front of him looked almost comical, and he would have chuckled had the pain coursing through his right side etched his already chiseled face into granite. A blonde woman was on her knees in front of him, mumbling words that sounded like "sorry" and "my god," trying to gather folders, manila envelopes and documents together back into the armload she was carrying through the door - or, as it really happened, the armload she had barreled through the door with, catching him in the shoulder as he passed by on his way up the staircase.

She wore a dark blue pantsuit over a trim figure, and her long blonde hair swung around her shoulders as she reached for the papers around her. The file clerks were getting prettier, he thought, frowning. "Since when are secretaries allowed in unauthorized parts of this building?" he asked roughly, sarcasm dripping out of his British accent.

"What?" she asked, whipping her head around to look at him. "You think I'm a secretary?"

"Well, you look far too young to be anything else, and who else would be carting around boxes of papers?" he asked.

Standing, she dusted off her hands and held one out to him, "Annie Walker, CIA Agent, assigned to the DPD."

Trent took in her tall figure, made even taller by ridiculously high stilettos. "Charming," he said, grasping and releasing her hand quickly.

Annie waited for him to reciprocate the introduction, and was slightly annoyed when he didn't. Looking down at his ID badge hanging from his lapel pocket, she saw the name "Trent Kort."

"I apologize for bumping into you, but I really didn't think anybody else was here."

"No one is supposed to be here," he said, bending down to the papers littered on the floor. "Which begs the question, why are you removing files from a highly secretive, authorized personnel only storeroom?"

"I was told to come down here and get this information, although I think it's a worthless bit of gruntwork designed to harass the newbies."

"Well, don't worry, one day you'll grow up to be a real CIA agent," he drawled, flipping through some of the papers on the floor, stopping on one in particular. "And what exactly did you say you needed these papers for?"

"Background information on a cold case, I was told," Annie said, bending down to stack the rest of the papers. Loading them back up into her arms, she stood, looking back up at him expectantly. When he didn't place the file he was curiously studying onto the stack in her arms, she cleared her throat. "Agent Kort?"

He paid no attention to her, instead reading over a paper that looked like it was at least 20 years old. "And what kind of cold case would this be, Agent Walker? Chasing ghosts?"

"I - I don't know. The assignment was on my desk when I came in this morning, with instructions to come here and pull the info. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do with it yet."

Reaching out, she grabbed at the sheet, only to have it moved out of her reach. "Tell me, Agent Annie Walker, would you mind if I accompanied you on this quest?"

"Umm, I don't know. Are you part of DCS? DPD? I'm not sure if -"

"Oh, don't you let the details worry your little head," he said smoothly, laying the sheet on top of the pile in her arms and removing half of the pile with his good arm. "Besides, you owe me now. Your little accident probably set my therapy back two weeks."

It was then that Annie noticed how stiffly he held his right arm. The very arm she slammed the door into. "Ohh! Oh, my God, I didn't realize - how did you get hurt?"

With a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, Kort said, "Just a field op that didn't quite go right. I'll tell you all about it on the way back to your office."

Following his lead down the staircase, Annie said, "Okay, but weren't you on your way to something? I wouldn't want to interrupt your work -"

"Don't worry, Blondie. My time has been my own for a while now, and you're not interrupting anything."

Slightly bristling at the nickname, Annie frowned as she followed him down the steps.

Coming up, Annie introduces Trent to Auggie, and learns more about the "cold case" he was so interested in.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Trent's eyes devoured the details of the page on the top of the stack he was carrying. He could hardly believe it when he first saw it and was thankful that Blondie had no idea what she was holding. Although he was assured by his bosses that his recent coup had reinstated him back to a field agent, the fact that it ended with a bullethole in his shooting arm added another roadblock. Perhaps he was getting soft, they said, allowing a civilian to get a shot off at him like that. So he had spent some time looking for one more "get," and without even knowing it, Blondie had placed that get at his feet.

Annie lengthened her stride to keep up with him as they exited the stairway and walked along the long corridor. He may have grunted and groaned with the pain she caused him, but it didn't seem to hamper his movement. "Agent Kort? Did you get shot?"

"Hmm?" Trent said, thoughts still lost in the document.

"Your shoulder, did you get shot?" Annie said, walking quicker to come up alongside him as they strode down the long hallway.

"Good guess. And please, call me Trent," he replied, again with an empty smile. "We're never going to get anywhere with all this formality."

"Trent," Annie said, returning his smile. His intense gaze made her feel somewhat shy. "You - you said you were going to tell me what happened to your shoulder. Were you shot?"

"Ahh, the dangers of the game, Blondie," his voice turned slightly wistful as he walked slower to allow her to keep up with him. "The most dangerous of men often go unarmed because they're surrounded by an army willing to die for them. It's the ones that are alone, you see, that post the most risk. They have everything to gain and everything to lose. I underestimated one such man."

Annie took in his words with a mix of confusion and fascination. Most of the agents she met in her six months since the Farm were clean-cut and serious. Trent Kort looked, sounded and acted like he'd just stepped out of a spy novel or off a movie set. Smooth head - shaved close, not bald - handsome, chiseled features and deep set, dark eyes. And his accent still showed traces of Britain.

"He may have been an idiot," Trent continued, "but his aim was true. Caught me in my right shoulder, and until I'm able to shoot straight again, I'm out of the field."

"And my hitting you with the door made it even worse, then," Annie said softly. "Again, I apologize."

"No need," Trent replied. "The damage done was mostly muscle. And I should have been watching where I was going."

Aiming another smile toward Annie, Trent slid the pile he was carrying back to her arms as they approached the DPD entrance. "After you, Blondie," he said, opening the glass door with his left hand.

Walking in, Annie looked around at the empty desks and frowned. Where was everybody? She made her way over to her desk to unload her burden and saw a note on her keyboard. She'd recognize Jai's overly masculine handwriting anywhere.

"Annie, since Joan's away with Arthur, I'm consolidating teams and working out of the seventh floor. Finish up on the work she left you, and when you're done, join us. Jai."

"Great," she whispered, "Not only have I gotta do a fool's errand, I have to do it alone."

"Something wrong?" Trent drawled, leaning against her desk.

Annie sighed and sat down in her chair. "No, it's just that with Joan and Arthur Campbell, my bosses, on vacation, their replacement, Jai Wilcox, has moved operations to the seventh floor, leaving me alone to bask in a paper hell."

"Not completely alone," Trent said, sensing movement in his peripheral vision.

Looking around Trent, Annie noticed that Auggie was sitting behind his desk, the lone soul left in the department. "Oh, thank God," she said, standing up. "That's Auggie Anderson, tech ops. I guess they let him stay down here because of his equipment."

Walking towards the office, Annie motioned for Trent to join her, "Come on, I'll introduce you."

Hearing his door slide open, Auggie slid off his headphones. The click-clack of stilettos on his hard floor marked Annie's return. "Hey, Annie, I thought you had gotten lost over there. Find everything you needed?"

"Yes, actually, though it took longer than I expected. Old case files haven't gotten around to being digitized yet, you know. I'll probably die of paper cuts before I'm done."

"I'll be sure to stock up on band-aids for you," he laughed. Then, sensing another presence, "Did you bring a friend?"

"Ohh, sorry," Annie said, "Auggie, this is Trent Kort. We, uhh, ran into each other in the hallway."

Standing, Auggie offered his hand out, "Trent Kort? Seems I recall that name from somewhere. Have we met before?"

"No," Trent said, shaking the man's hand. "My line of work has been mostly, shall we say, out of house."

Auggie felt the strength in Trent's hand as their palms clasped. And though he may have never met him, the name triggered a distant memory, and not a good one at that. It raised his suspicions, as did his sudden appearance by Annie's side.

"And what are you doing here, then?" he asked, trying in vain to keep that suspicion out of his voice.

Before Trent could reply, Annie said, "If you guys will excuse me? Those files were really dusty, and I need to wash my hands before I get started."

"Of course," Trent said, smiling at her and sliding open Auggie's door.

As it slid shut again, he turned to face him. "Don't bother getting jealous, Auggie, was it? My interest in Blondie is purely professional."

"What are you talking about?"

"Let's just say I have a vested interest in the cold case she's been assigned. I've offered my help while I'm still sidelined with this shoulder."

"Oh," Auggie said, settling back in his chair. "Just make sure it stays professional. Annie's still getting over one smooth-talker. I don't want to see her hurt again."

"Blondie's a little too young for me, don't worry," Trent said, sliding the door open and walking out.

Even before the door shut, Auggie slid his headphones back on and pulled up an inter-departmental search engine. Typing in "Trent Kort," he slid his fingers down to the Braille pad and began to read.

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Thanks for all the kind words, everyone. You know who you are. I have to say, I thought Trent would be difficult to write for, but he's such a dynamic, strong character, he blends well with Annie and Auggie's personalities.

This is going to be fun. :)

Settling himself into a desk beside Annie's, Trent grabbed the paper off the top and began to read again. Michael Norcell, born 1950, recruited by the CIA in 1972, special duty to create new forms of decryption. Succeeded, but disappeared, along with his work, in 1985. All this Trent already knew. It was a legend, almost a ghost story, told to recruits by grizzled veterans. Most of the stories went along the lines of, "I almost had him, but the devil's a sneaky bastard." There was also an unofficial bounty on the man or his decryption codes, whichever could be found. Though Trent couldn't see the government giving more than a pat on the back and a shiny medal in a plastic case.

He'd never thought much of the man until a few minutes ago, when this old document fluttered to his feet. Nobody had been able to find Norcell because of how he disappeared. He may have taken his work with him, but he also cleaned out all traces of himself in the agency. Computers were just in their infancy, and all information was still on paper. All Norcell had to do was know where to find it and take it with him. And he did, Trent thought, all but this. His original personnel record, complete with name, birthdates, family, personal history, phone numbers and addresses.

"Well, well, Mr. Norcell, didn't find everything now, did we?" Trent said to himself, pulling out his cell. He quickly inputted all the information into the device and slid it back into his leather blazer.

Now, he thought, where to begin? Official channels would slow him down, and he'd have to share the credit, something he's never been comfortable with.

Walking back into the bullpen, Annie saw Trent sitting in Jai's seat, deep in thought. For the past few minutes, as she cleaned the dust off her hands and sleeves of her jacket, her mind had been reeling about this man. Yes, she'd been momentarily stunned by his presence and sarcasm mixed with a charm she found appealing, but a seed of suspicion had begun to grow in her. What did a highly trained, obviously dangerous CIA veteran want with old case files?

Her instructions were to pull the few listed on the sheet Joan gave her and make them available for future cases. It was grunt work and heavily on data entry, but it was needed, she knew. And being low man on the totem pole meant the duty fell to her.

She strode over to her desk, and Trent turned at her approach. "Find everything you need?" she asked.

"I'm not sure I follow," he said, half a smile playing around his lips. "What exactly do I need?"

"Whatever struck your fancy in these documents. It was this one, right?" she asked, plucking the yellowed paper off the top of the stack. "Michael Norcell." Annie looked over at Trent, but he gave no sign of recognition of the name.

"I was given instructions to pull this file and about a dozen others, along with case histories, to input into the system for possible new operations in the future. If you're going to start off on one by yourself, I'm going to have to make a note of it."

"No, you won't."

"I - I won't?" Annie asked, incredulously. "And why won't I?"

"Because," Trent said, leaning forward, "you're going to help me find him."

"I am, huh? And what makes you think I'd want to do that?"

"A red feather in your cap, perhaps, and you'd be doing me a favor." Lowering his voice, he whispered, "And I always reciprocate favors."

"Red doesn't favor me, Agent Kort," Annie said coolly, "and unless you tell me what you want with Michael Norcell, you can say your good-byes now."

"Listen, Blondie -" Trent said rather roughly, before stopping himself. Taking a deep breath, he realized he had marked this girl wrong, and his usual charm was backfiring. Looking across at her, he said, "Listen to me, please. This Michael Norcell, he's a ghost. Hasn't been seen since '85, and nobody's even sure he's still alive. He disappeared, along with his decryption work, and he erased all traces of himself. Everything, except that document you're holding."

"But why him? Why do you need this one?"

"Because he's a legend, and if I ever want to get out of this building and back in the field, I need to prove myself."

"Oh, I think you've proved yourself quite well enough, Kort," Auggie said, walking up to them.

"Auggie, what are you talking about?" Annie asked.

"Trent Kort." Auggie said, walking over to Annie's desk and standing beside her. "I knew I recognized your name, so I did a little searching. Seems people you handle or work with have an uncanny knack for finding themselves killed."

The sudden clattering of a chair being knocked over rang through the empty room. "Watch it, soldier boy," Trent said in a low voice, standing. "Or I may have to apprise your girlfriend here of one or two little ops of yours. You are August Anderson, correct? Technical wiz-slash-soldier with Special Forces? Your name was highly regarded in circles until a few years ago."

"Guys!" Annie shouted, coming around her desk to stand between the two, "Stop it! You can finish this outside later, if you want to. Right now, we've all got work to do."

Stepping back, Trent composed himself and picked up the chair, sliding it back under the desk. "You're quite right, Blondie. I have a few phone calls to make. I'll be back in an hour."

Annie waited until Trent was gone before she rounded on Auggie. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

"Annie, that guy is dangerous. I recognized his name, so I did a search of his previous ops. He was a deep undercover assistant to a huge arms dealer who supposedly died of a gunshot to the head. It was classified as a suicide, but -"

"I'm going to help him," Annie interrupted.

"Even if it gets you killed?" Auggie said, incredulously. "Annie, please, before you agree to anything, you should look at the information I found on him. He's a glory boy, wanting to get his name in lights, and he's going to use you to do that."

Sighing, Annie placed her hand on Auggie's arm, "All he wants to do is to find this one man, Michael Norcell, and prove to his bosses that he's still capable of working out in the field. It's not a dangerous op, and with you at my back, there's no way I'll get hurt."

Auggie took a deep breath and laid his hand over top of hers. "There's no winning this argument, is there?"

"No, there isn't."

"Okay, then, I'll help you. But only you. Let Kort do his own legwork."

Smiling, Annie leaned over and placed a soft kiss against his cheek, "Thanks, soldier boy."

Don't be shy, please offer a few words of encouragement and review. :)

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Auggie took a long swig from his bottle and leaned back into hard wood of the bench. Monday nights were usually quiet at Allen's, and the buzz of voices was limited to about five people.

A clink and thud of bottles hitting the table announced Annie's return from the bar. "Must be a slow night," she said, sliding in beside him on the bench. "You've usually got a hanger-on or two by now."

"Careful, Blondie, your claws are showing," Auggie teased, taking another swig from his bottle. "So, have you figured out what you're going to do with Kort?"

Annie smirked, hearing the edge in his voice. "Now whose claws are showing? After he left, I got to work on the case files, but he didn't return. Maybe he changed his mind about wanting me to help him on the case."

Auggie scoffed, "Imagine that. Forget about him, Annie."

"But -"

"I said forget about him. You don't need to get caught up in his games. He's been playing it longer than most, and he knows how to manipulate and charm people into doing what he wants them to do."

"He's not manipulating me, Soldier Boy," Annie shot back. "It's just a case, and a rather interesting one, at that. And since it was included in the dozen or so Joan had me pull, we were going to run the op, anyway."

"Then let us run it. He doesn't need to be involved."

"But if he has the means to clear it, shouldn't we -"

"No," Auggie said, more forcefully than he meant to. Lowering his voice again, he turned towards Annie. "You didn't want to listen before, but there's things about Trent Kort you need to know first."

"Like what?"

"Not here," Auggie said, emptying his bottle and standing, holding his hand out to her. "Come with me."

Sitting in Auggie's office chair at the DPD later that night, Annie pored over the files that he pulled up, not quite believing what she was reading. The last operation Kort ran resulted in the capture of one of the most wanted men in the country and the assets gained by the CIA were substantial. All pluses on his side, but it also resulted in the needless deaths of several men.

And the information on the case Auggie had confronted Kort with earlier was lacking in detail, but the basic facts were there. His deep undercover mark had died by an apparent suicide. As she went further and further back in the files, operation by operation, Annie grew more suspicious of the man.

Turning around in the chair, Annie said, "I'm sorry I doubted you, Auggie. It seems you were right, Trent Kort is dangerous, unpredictable and manipulative."

"So you agree with me that you shouldn't help him," Auggie replied.

"No, quite the contrary."

"Annie, come on -"

"Listen, Auggie," Annie interrupted. "The file that Kort pulled on this Michael Norcell is 25 years old. Aren't you the least bit suspicious as to why he wants to find him? What if he's not telling us the whole story? We could be putting Norcell in more danger by letting Kort go after him himself."

"So what are you saying?" Auggie asked, standing up and walking over to her, leaning against his desk.

"Kort's got the information on this Norcell, and since he hasn't come back, he's probably already on the trail. We've got to help him, if only to ensure that the operation is done correctly, by protocol, with nobody getting hurt."

Standing, Annie took Auggie's hand in both of hers. "We can do this, Auggie."

Before he hand a chance to respond, Annie's cellphone rang. Letting go of Auggie's hands, Annie pulled it out of her pocket. "Annie Walker."

"I need your help," a familiar deep British voice said.

"Trent? Where are you? You said you'd be back in an hour."

Setting the cell on speakerphone, Annie held it up so both of them could hear.

"Come to the warehouse on West 59th Street. I think I've found a lead to Norcell, but I can't do this alone."

When Annie didn't respond, he continued, "You did say you'd help me, Blondie. Don't tell me you're already breaking your promises."

"Of course I'm not breaking my promise, I'll be there in half an hour," Annie said, hanging up the phone.

"Guess it's showtime," Auggie said, bending down and opening a drawer on his desk. "Here, take this earwig. If you're hellbent on doing this, at least I'll be able to listen in on the action."

Taking it from his hand, Annie placed it in her ear. "Thanks for trusting me on this, Auggie."

"Do me a favor, though," he asked as she gathered her coat and bag.

"What?"

"Make sure you come back to me."

Annie smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "Don't I always?" she whispered.

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

NOTE: Auggie's dialogue through Annie's earpiece is in italics.

All right, now take a left, and the building should be down about two blocks. Park a little ways away and walk up to it.

"Got it," Annie said, rounding the corner on the darkened street and pulling over to the side. She put the car in park, took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. Clenching the steering wheel, she tried to stifle the anxiety building up in her. Kort was nowhere to be seen, and suddenly she wondered if she were being set up.

Annie? What's going on? Is he there? What do you see?

"No, Auggie, there's no one here. Maybe you were right, and I'm being set up."

You can walk away from this at any time, Annie, you know that.

"I've come too far to back out now, Auggie. I'm going in." Quietly getting out of the car, Annie walked up to the warehouse, searching for any kind of evidence that someone was there. Trent said he found Norcell, but she doubted the man would be hiding out in an abandoned warehouse.

A light touch on her shoulder made her swing around, ready to fight. Trent stood there, and how he managed to sneak up on her without making a sound she couldn't fathom. "Trent! What the hell do you think you're doing, sneaking up on me like that?"

"Actually, I'm surprised you came," he said, placing a hand on her upper arm and walking them further down the street to a nondescript door. "And alone, at that. Didn't the Toy Soldier want to play chaperone?"

"I said I'd help you, Trent, leave Auggie out of this."

From Soldier Boy to Toy Soldier now? Can't this guy just call somebody by their name?

Annie bit the insider of her cheek to keep from smiling at Auggie's words on her ear. Looking up at the gray, dark building, she frowned. "So what's in the building?"

"According to a friend of mine, Norcell is."

"You mean you don't know?"

"Not for sure. That's where you come in," he said, leaning against the building and crossing his arms across his leather-clad chest. "This is a large building, lots of empty rooms. If I go in, all menacing and such, guns blazing, he'll go to ground. Again. But if you go in -"

"If I go in, what?" Annie asked.

"I'll be at your back, a bit behind. You're to find Norcell, use your charms to get him to relax, and I'll take it from there."

"Use - use my charms? And what kind of charms am I supposed to use? A nice smile? Friendly words?"

"Come on, Blondie, you know what you look like. One sweet smile, a flash of thigh when you cross your legs, and you could have any man you want," he said, voice low and eyes glittering.

I am going to rip him limb from limb if he continues.

Annie blinked at the hostile words in her ear.

"Ahh, I guess you didn't come alone, did you?"

"What - what do you mean?" Annie asked.

"You got Soldier Boy in your right ear, right? A small hint when wearing earwigs, don't lean your head to the side when you're listening, and if you're trying to hide it, work on your poker face."

Reaching for the handle, Trent opened the door. "I'll be right behind you, but out of sight. Any problem, you give a shout."

Nodding, Annie made her way inside. Digging a small penlight out of her pocket, she used it to illuminate the darkened corners of the hallways. The streetlights gave a bit of a glow through the dusty windows, but it was still hard to see. She came into a large room which apparently had been a workroom of some sorts, with a few tables and broken chairs in the corner. The walls were almost entirely windows, and the faint light threw a eerie glow to the whole room.

What's going on, Annie?

"The place seems to be deserted," Annie said in hushed tones. "Doesn't look like anyone's stepped foot in this place for a decade."

Making her way through the larger room, Annie pushed open a door at the far end, wincing as it squealed. This room was darker than the rest, with only one window. However, it wasn't as deserted as the rest of the building. Running her flashlight around, it looked like she'd stepped into a museum. Recording equipment, tape decks, and items she couldn't even fathom to comprehend their use covered wooden tables all along the wall. And what inch of the table didn't have devices on was covered in papers and documents and reels of audio and videotape, it looked like.

"Bingo," Annie said softly.

I take it you found something.

"An A/V geek's dream, if you're into that kind of stuff. It looks like it's been lived in; there's not as much dust as the other rooms."

A polite ahem to her left startled Annie, and she nearly dropped her flashlight. Wheeling around, almost expecting to find Trent there, she saw an elderly man sitting at a desk in the far corner. She shone her flashlight on him, and he blinked and covered his eyes.

"Please," said a raspy voice. "That's very bright." Annie lowered her flashlight to the floor. "Thank you. So nice of you to visit me. I - I guess you're used to a brighter room. Let me get the light."

The man shuffled over to the side wall and flipped a switch. A lone bulb hanging from the ceiling turned on, illumating more of the room, or actually several rooms, as Annie could see an open door and the edge of a bed through it.

"Oh, my, I don't receive many guests," he muttered. "Will you be needing refreshment of some sort? I have some instant coffee."

"No, thank you," Annie replied. "Are you Michael Norcell?"

"Yes, I am. And your name is?"

"Annie," she replied, shaking the proffered hand.

"Oh, such a beautiful name. It really is kind of you to visit me. Well, since you aren't thirsty, is there anything else I can offer you?" he asked.

Frowning, Annie wasn't sure what to make of him. "How long have you been here, Mr. Norcell?"

"Oh, please, call me Mikey, everybody does. And I've lived here for a very long time. You see, I'm hiding, which means not many people are able to visit. And had I known you were coming, I would have tidied up a bit."

Norcell moved to one of the tables that were littered with paper and notebooks. "I really should put these away, but I'm afraid I won't be able to find them again if I do. Would - would you like to see what I'm working on?"

"Uhh, sure," Annie replied, walking over to him.

"These are encrypted notes that I've been trying to crack. I've gotten through most of them, but some are harder than others."

Taking the notebook from Norcell, Annie saw that page after page was covered in an incoherent childish scrawl. Her heart went out to him as she realized his years of isolation and paranoia had reduced him to a shell of a once brilliant man. "Who are you hiding from, Mikey?"

"I - I'm not sure anymore, but I do know that if they come for me again, I'm ready."

"Would you like me to help you? I can protect you from them."

Annie saw a smile start on his face before it was gone and replaced with sadness and fear. "I don't know."

"Please, let me try," Annie said, placing her hand on his shoulder.

The sudden squeal of the door opening behind them startled the both of them. Turning around, Annie saw Trent rush in, a gun in his hand and aimed directly at Norcell.

"Trent! What are you doing?" Annie cried.

"Get away from him, Annie," Trent said gruffly.

Grabbing Annie's arm, Norcell produced a revolver from his pocket and aimed it at Kort. "Trent, huh? You've gotten old. I knew you'd come back to finish the job. And you dragged this little girl with you."

"Norcell, let her go," Trent said.

"What the hell is going on here?" Annie said loudly, using her body to block Trent's aim. "Trent, you said you just wanted to find him. We have, now put your gun away."

"Just find me, huh? Is that what he told you, Annie? Go ahead, Kort, tell this lovely young lady here why you want me so badly."

"This is ridiculous," Trent said, losing patience.

"Then I will. You see, my dear, you may not believe it, but I was young once, and full of ideals to save the world. So I joined our nation's top ranking government agency to help them encrypt and decrypt codes from Russia, China, Japan, all over the country. I was one of the best. But you and your boys didn't value that work, did they, Trent? All they cared about were results. They wanted to lock me away, Annie. Lock me away in a little room 'cause they were afraid I knew too much. I created an encryption code that no one else was able to decipher, and they didn't like it.

They tried to force me to teach them, but I saw their game. And little by little, I began to put aside some of it every day until one day I was able to leave completely, with no trace. I hid and no one's ever found me."

"All that is very sweet, Norcell, but you're coming with me, now," Trent said, advancing on them.

A gunshot at close range rang through Annie's ears, and she ripped her arm away from Norcell and dove for the floor. Looking up from her prone position, she saw Norcell still standing, hand shakily grasping a now smoking revolver.

"Bloody Hell!" came a cry to her left, and she looked over to see Trent lying on the ground, his hands clenched on his right leg. A perfect bullet hole showed through the lower left of his pant leg, and blood began to seep through the material.

Annie! Annie!

"Auggie, I'm okay."

What happened? I heard a gunshot.

"Our mark shot Trent," Annie said, standing up and walking over to Norcell, who was still shaking.

Auggie chuckling rippled through her earpiece. Annie placed a hand on Norcell's shoulder and gently removed the revolver with the other. His eyes met hers, and she read fear and panic in them.

"I can't go back there, Annie. I can't. You - you said you could help me."

"Don't worry, Mikey, you won't have to. But you can't stay here. Do you have any family you could contact?"

He shook his head. "But I can't stay here. Now that they know where I am, they'll send others."

"No, they won't. I'll make sure of that. Do you trust me?"

Looking into her eyes, Norcell nodded. "Can - can I bring my work with me?"

"Sure, no problem," Annie said, smiling. Turning around, she looked at Kort, who had pulled up his pant leg to show a sizable gash on his calf. "That's gonna leave a mark, I'm afraid."

"Spare me the pity, Blondie," Trent groaned.

"I'm sure you can still walk, and I think you should get out of here. I'll clear the scene."

"And take all the glory? I rather think not," Trent said, wrapping a handkerchief around his bleeding leg. "Norcell is mine."

"Not anymore. Auggie, you still there?"

Of course.

"If there's anyone still there, I'm gonna need a team over here to collect Mr. Norcell and his belongings."

You got it. Walking over to Trent, Annie offered a hand to him. Begrudgingly, he took it and stood. "Even if you did bring Norcell in, you can see for yourself that your 'legend' is harmless. He needs to be taken care of, not put in your display case."

"Well-played, Agent Walker. I guess your friend is calling in the troops?"

Annie nodded.

"Then I'd better make myself scarce," he said, releasing her hand and hobbling out of the door.

My guys will be there in half an hour, Annie. "Thanks, Auggie. I'll see you back at the office. Listen, you still got that bottle of Patron in your desk drawer?"

More to come soon! Got a couple more seconds? Send me your thoughts on the story.

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

The next morning, Annie made her way up to the seventh floor. She'd made her report and turned it into Conrad, who had filled Arthur's position during his and Joan's absence. Discreetly leaving out any mention of Trent Kort, she thought she'd succeeded in her subterfuge, but Conrad had called down to her desk and asked her to report to him.

She knocked on the office door and walked in, putting her best innocent face on and smiling broadly at the tall, blonde man. He motioned for her to sit down.

"So, Annie," Conrad said, leaning back in Arthur's chair, "your report states that you found missing CIA agent Michael Norcell because you recognized a name and address from an old personnel file."

"Yes," Annie replied.

"And after making a couple calls to some people you know who wish to remain anonymous, you found out where he was?" If Conrad knew she'd left out several details, he didn't show it.

"Yes."

"And decided to check out the lead yourself." Conrad's eyes narrowed at this statement, and Annie knew he didn't approve.

"Yes, with Auggie as backup," Annie said emphatically.

"And neither of you thought to inform anyone else."

"The odds of him actually being there were 100-to-1, and I didn't want to make a fool of myself in case I was wrong."

"But your instincts were dead on, and you managed to solve a 25-year mystery."

"About Norcell -" Annie said, leaning forward.

"He'll be taken care of, Annie. The previous regime used him cruelly, in my opinion, and I'm glad to say times have changed. His encryption work is still very valuable, and we'll be happy to work with him again."

"That's great. Thanks, Conrad," she said, standing up and reaching out to shake his hand. He grasped it and flashed a sympathic smile.

"Anytime, Annie." He moved around the desk and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Arthur and Joan may not have approved of your methods, but I trust you more than they do. They don't have to know the details, and they're more interested in the bottom line, anyway. A closed cold case is one less worry for them."

As they both walked over to the door, Conrad opened it for her. "I know you think the case file entry work Joan left for you is a waste of time, but as you can see, some good can come out of it. As soon as you're finished, join us back up here. We miss you."

"Thanks again, Conrad," Annie said, and left the office. Conversations buzzed around her as agents scurried around, talked on the phones and with each other. Most times she'd want to be part of that hustle and bustle, but the past 24 hours filled her need for excitement and intrigue for now. She headed for the elevator to take her down to the DPD - and to Auggie.

As the elevator doors opened, she stepped out to find Trent Kort sitting alone in the hallway, elbows resting on his knees. He looked up when the doors opened and smiled when he saw her. This time, it reached his eyes, and Annie smiled back.

"You beat me at my own game, Blondie. There's not many around who can claim that fact."

"Was that a compliment?" she asked, sitting next to him on the bench.

"More an observation of a fact," he said, standing slowly.

"How's your leg?" Annie asked.

"Just a flesh wound. Should be able to get back out in the field in a month or so."

"So even without the Norcell 'get,' you so desperately needed, you're being okayed for field work?"

"It seems so, got the word today," he said, looking down at her. "You were right to protect Norcell. I'm not proven wrong very often, but it seems this time, I've met my match."

Turning, he began to walk slowly down the hallway, "See you around."

The swoosh of the glass door opening and a flash of neon green on the opposite wall announced Auggie's approach. As it swung over and settled on Annie's frame, she said, "Over here, Auggie."

"So what'd Conrad say?"

"He bought the story. No mention of Kort will appear in the report, and as far as anyone knows, he was never here."

Auggie sat down next to Annie and reached out for her hand. "You didn't have to do that, you know. Why'd you protect him?"

Sighing, Annie looked down at their clasped hands, feeling the warmth of his fingers as they slid over hers. "The truth? I don't know. Maybe to save him from himself. His need for glory will probably kill him one of these days. If Norcell had been a better shot -"

Shaking her head of the "what ifs" that were buzzing through, Annie stood, pulling Auggie with her. "It's over now, though, right? Kort's gone, Norcell is being taken care of, and you and I have got a date with a bottle and a couple of shot glasses."

Auggie laughed as they made their way to his office. Pulling open his bottom drawer, he pulled out the fabled Patron. "If you're going to join me this often, I'm going to have to get another shot glass. I've only got the one."

"That's okay," Annie said, leaning against his desk next to him. "We can share."

Cocking an eyebrow at her, Auggie smiled. "Are you flirting with me, Miss Walker?" he asked, pouring out the clear liquid and holding it out for her.

"Maybe," she answered softly, draining the liquor and setting the shot glass down on the table. Taking the bottle out of his hands, she poured a shot and pressed the glass into his hands.

"Then I guess I won't need the second glass, after all," he said, draining the liquor quickly.

Replacing the bottle back in the drawer, he turned to her, offering an elbow, "What do you say we continue this at the tavern?"

"Sounds perfect, Soldier Boy," Annie replied, hooking her arm through his.

THE END

I had a lot of fun writing this story, and appreciate everyone's feedback. Now that it's done, please review. Thanks in advance.


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